Swanky 865 motherboards from Intel
Intel has long sent out its own motherboards for testing when it launches a new chipset, but those boards have grown more interesting over the course of the past year or so. The latest boards, based on the 865PE and 865G, are solid examples of of this trend—especially the D865PERL board, which is downright swanky.

In the D865PERL, Intel nearly has an enthusiasts' motherboard

Six-channel audio comes from analog output ports, digital coax, or optical

The jet-black D865PERL has all the advantages Intel's 865PE and ICH5R can confer upon it, including dual-channel DDR400, Serial ATA RAID, Gigabit Ethernet via CSA, and four USB 2.0 ports. The board also has a Firewire port thanks to an auxiliary Firewire controller chip. The ICH5R audio controller teams up with a SoundMAX codec chip and software to deliver six channels of 3D positional audio via analog or digital outputs. The gigantic passive cooler on the north bridge shouldn't get in the way of hearing that audio, either. This board is a few more overclocking options, a couple of neon glowy things, and maybe some naked dancer chicks away from being a True Enthusiast's Mobo.

Intel's D865GBF motherboard: fully operational without a single card installed

The D865GBF, meanwhile, is a little more button down, with a eyeshade-green PCB and no Firewire or digital audio outputs. Still, it comes with fully six PCI slots and a AGP slot, even though you don't need to fill a single one in order to have a fully functional PC based on this board, thanks to its built-in graphics and sound.